Guinness Draught | Guinness Ltd.

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Reviews by shanenoel90:

It have always been a fan of stouts, therefore, my opinion will be somewhat biased. Guinness Draught is just the standard irish dry stout, you know what you are getting before buying it and it does not go better or worst. For me Guinness is like McDonalds, you know that there are better things out there but for some reason you always go back and buy Guinness because it never disappoints.

More User Reviews:

As anyone reading, I drink a lot of beer. However, I never review beers, mainly because good beers tend to receive their credit, plus why would anyone really care what I have to say about beer, I'm not an expert? But I was curious, so I Googled Guinness and found its BA score; it is wrong. How have "beer experts" determined that what was once the gold standard is now deserving of a 77 score (or a 70, Bros)? Because it's not brewed by a couple hipsters in a trendy neighborhood? Because it is mass produced? It's delicious. It's beautiful. It's meant to taste unique. I've had better beers, but it is completely worthy of a 5/5 rating. It's a DRY Stout, emphasis on the dry. It makes you yearn for that next sip, just like a good cocktail. It is smooth and has a burnt toffee aftertaste, pours a deep black with a rich, thick, creamy head that laces the glass perfectly. It's incredibly made and gets better with more pours, A TRUE SESSION BREW before it had a name. It offers a very slight body with a sharply toasted malt smell, that of day old bread that does not overwhelm but rather compliments the taste. Very well made, it's clear why brewers and beer drinkers alike have enjoyed and respected this beer for decades. This should not be kept out of your rotation just because your grandparents have drank it, in fact, that's partially why you should drink it.

The beer people love to hate for no legitimate reason, other than the fact it is the most famous stout of all time. Don't judge a beer based on its' notoriety. This is the textbook beer that "beer snobs" loathe, because it reassures the deluded perception they have that smaller always equals better. Anyways:

Appearance- Poured on tap into a guinness glass it presents a dark coffee like color, accompanied with a thick foamy head.

do people romanticize a pint of guinness? yes they do. but why shouldn't they? there's a beautiful history behind this beer, and i challenge anyone to find me a more beautiful looking beer. perfect head, an inredible blackish ruby color, it is flawless. smells like stale rye bread, tastes like stale rye bread, and...FUCK YOU, i love stale rye bread! wonderful texture, guinness is still king among stouts.

Call me a bit biased because of my heritage, but I love Guinness. This is my go to beer. It is the first one that made me understand the flavors to a beer. Prior to Guinness, like many people, I mostly drank american Pilsner (Hey... we were all early 20 somethings at one time, LOL!!! I've since changed, gotten into crafts, and won't touch light Pilsner anymore). I didn't understand why it tasted like flat coffee until I read about how it was made and why. My next try at it and I was hooked. I grew to love this beer!!! It has one of the prettiest pours there is, in my opinion. Best off a nitro tap or from a can with the widget. It does create a creaminess. It is a dry stout, with virtually no fizz, and lots of coffee, along with chocolate and roasted malt. At least that is what I taste anyway. It is light compared to a number of the Stouts I've gotten into since acquiring my Stout love. Many call it legendary. Some say it stinks. To me, it is legendary, and oh so good!

I spent quite a bit of time in Ireland and have since became a Guinness-snob.... I will say this: The Guinness that you get in (most of) the rest of the world is not anywhere as good as it is in Ireland. Even in Ireland you can get a bad Guinness... I found that this was caused by a few things, but more often than not it was because of a bad/dirty tap or line from the keg to the tap; I have even sent a few back when I was in Ireland because of the taste.

My rating/review is for the Guinness that you get on-tap (nitro) in Ireland.:

The bartender holds the Guinness tulip glass at a 45 degree angle until the Guinness reaches 3/4 full. The Guinness then has to settle or "cook" until the nitrogen bubbles stop flowing down the glass. Once settled the bartender holds the glass under the tap at no angle and tips the tap back, allowing the Guinness to flow more slowly, creating a nice domed head. The Guinness then settles (cooks) a second time before it should be consumed. The whole process should take 119 seconds.

The proper Guinness should be incredible black, hardly letting any light through it at all. The head should be off-white, thick (as if able to hold a coin), creamy, with no large bubbles (called frog eyes). It should not have that strong of a smell to it, but the smell should be something creamy (yes, creamy), slightly spicy, and slightly roasted barley. The taste should be very smooth... VERY smooth. It should NOT be overly bitter, but there is some there. A lot of people just say that it taste like coffee and chocolate. While a Guinness should taste of these things, none should be dominant over the rest.

Guinness from the bottle or from the can are not nearly as good because they tend not to drink as smooth. Maybe it's the aging that is done or the characteristics of the can or bottle that it picks up, but you CANNOT get anything better than Guinness on tap in Ireland.

All other ratings are lies. This is the world's most perfect beer. Judging a Guinness is impossible unless you have it within the borders of Ireland. When you see the dark black foam of a nitro poured drink, you salivate. It is so decadent, you can smell the creamy goodness of this beverage. When you finally taste this beer, you understand what Nirvana is. The feel of this drink in your mouth, when perfectly poured and sipped, is unmatched by any other beverage! -Never settle.

The best beer on the planet. The only stout you will ever need. All others will try to be like it and will fail. The perfect head and body that goes perfect with its own special glass. Smooth like water with a perfect coffee flavor in the back. If I was only allowed to drink one beer for the rest of my life, I wouldn't even have to think about it. Guinness for life.

Guinness Draught is without a doubt my favorite beer of all time. I have tried other draughts and none have been able to achieve the high level of Guinness for me. The color, smell, taste, smoothness, head, everything is perfect. This is the kind of beer I like to enjoy while relaxing at home. A+ all around.

11.2 oz bottle (as in the new bottle without the nitrogen widget) of brown glass and with a standard pressure cap served into a conical Guinness pint glass in me gaff in low altitude Los Angeles, California. Acquired at a local Ralph's market. Reviewed live. I expect this to be worse than the nitro-bottle and nowhere near the level of Guinness nitro-draught.

Served slightly warmer than refrigerator cold. Side-poured at a proper 45 degree angle.

A: Pours a half finger head of white colour, decent thickness, and nowhere near the cream of the nitro-bottle. Very disappointing. Colour is the standard extreme dark ruby (but apparent black). Pales in comparison to the other variants of Guinness Draught.

Mf: Smooth, wet, a bit thin, and a bit watery. Not at all creamy compared to the luxurious cream of the proper Guinness variants. Incredibly disappointing.

Dr: Drinkable but an obnoxiously poor decision. The nitro-bottle was far better. As a periodic Irish resident and a huge fan of Guinness, I'm offended at this awful decision. This variant ruins the best macro-brewed beer in the world, and I won't stand for it. Feels like a poorly executed porter in this bottled form. Please don't judge the beer based on this bottled variant; it's a poor representation of the beer.

No doubt this was an upper level directive from those bastards over at Diageo. I don't blame the brewery.

I emailed Diageo customer service about this beer and the removal of the nitro widget - which I think is a disgraceful ploy to reduce manufacturing costs. I received the following response:

---We are sorry that you were disappointed by your recent Guinness experience. While we have removed the widget from the Guinness Draught In A Bottle, the liquid has remained exactly the same and continues to come from St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin.
Guinness Draught In A Bottle has always been meant to be enjoyed directly from the bottle. We’ve adjusted the gas mixture so that the nitrogen gas is activated every time you tilt the bottle to drink, providing the signature creamy head each time you take a sip. Guinness Draught In A Bottle is still nitrogenated.

If you prefer to pour a Guinness into a glass, we recommend Guinness Draught in a Can, which still has a widget since Guinness Draught in a Can is meant to be poured from the can and enjoyed from a glass. It is our recommendation for consumers who enjoy drinking from the glass at home, as it delivers an outstanding “from the glass” experience.

If you prefer to continue to pour from the bottles, pouring faster and from a vertical angle will give you a much better head than pouring slowly.

We’re very passionate about our beer and do everything we can to deliver a Great Guinness Experience whether it’s straight from the bottle or poured into a glass. We hope this information answers your question and ensures your next experience with Guinness will meet your – and our – high standards.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions. We would be happy to offer a refund for this purchase and look forward to speaking with you directly if you would provide us with your phone number. Thank you very much.
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^You can draw your own conclusions, but the whole "nitrogenating according to the tipping of the bottle" bit seems like a load of steaming bollocks. As a longtime Guinness drinker in mother Ireland and abroad, I'm disappointed in this decision. We want our nitro-induced creamy mouthfeel, ye Diageo bastards!

It truly is a lovely day for a Guinness. I agree with those who love it and why. Guinness has character and I have found that most people who enjoy it have character also. There are other Stouts...now. But the progenitor comes from Dublin.

Poured from a 14.9oz widget can into a pint glass. Pours a lovely ruby brown color and produces a whopping 2-3 finger head. It also has that nitro can fizziness that settles into an almost jet black color. The smell is very faint. Hardly any scent. The taste....wahohoho....wow. Such an awesome flavor for a massively brewed stout. Loads of smokey charred coffee with hints of bitter chocolate. Such an initial taste. Once it settles there definitely a strong hoppy bitterness, but in a good way. I'm so blown away by how good this is. Mouthfeel is a hair thin, but very smooth and light velvety. Like a thin eggnog... I was expecting a loser, but golly this is wondeful. I recommend this to anyone looking for a beer with a nice resonate flavors. For price, taste, availability this is a winner. It's goddamn electric.

Appearance  Black with the cascading foam that makes this stout famous. I had this on-top and it was filled to the top, so I didnt get a chance to gauge the head.

Smell  The aroma is not strong, but I can pick up dark malts and chocolate and maybe even a hop balance. Theres also some light molasses sweetness to this one.

Taste  This is much drier than it smells. It has a nice sweetness with a touch of caramel malt.

Mouthfeel  I thought this was the stouts strong point. This one is super smooth from start to finish.

Drinkability  A session stout if there ever was one. Not the hardiest one youll ever put down, but good nevertheless with an above-average mouthfeel.

Update 06/08/18 – I originally reviewed this at a pub 15 years ago and am surprised on how smooth it is from the bottle. Again, this is not a big beer, but really is a rare breed of session-style stout.

One of the best style of beer to look at is the Irish Dry Stout. Cascading nitro style waiting period. Dark brown to black, sticky, fully coated lacing. Carbonation is almost non-existent after the pour completes itself.

Some charred barley, but like most from this style it is on the easy drinking, creamy, laid back. Watered down, tart taste, milky mouthfeel, and the drinkability is average just because I can't see myself looking forward to this or pursuing it any time soon. Once again another brew I'd prefer to try on tap, without the nitro blasting ball, but for this review in a can its simply uneventfull.

Presentation: 14.9fl oz can with a built in widget (they call theirs the "Guinness Floating Draft System") for that "draught-like" quality. No freshness date.

Appearance: Absolutely pitch black with an amazing cascading effect. As the nitro-injection settles it forms a perfect finger width, creamy, foamy, tight off-white head. It's sticks to the glass and the head consistency remains all the way to the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Very pleasant aroma of sweet and roasted malts. Faint caramel note with a finishing of smoked malt.

Taste: Silky smooth mouthfeel, tremendously creamy -- so much so that I always find it difficult to not simply chug the beer in one swallow. Malt is nicely roasted with little astringency. The roasted malts give off coffee, slight chocolate and mild smoked flavors. Things dry up after this, then follows a watery-like floral hop flavor. There's a slight bite, for a brief second, that combines with a touch of roasted malt astringency. The unique roasted flavor carries through as a foundation from beginning to end. Body is medium. Finishes with a delicate roasted and dryness.

Notes: What can I say? It's not the most remarkable Stout that I've ever had. It's not very exciting compared to its siblings (yes, even on tap in Ireland). Apart from "Guinness" (the tap version) this is Guinness' top selling beer, and the most consistent as it's all too easy these days to get an inconsistent poured pint of Guinness. Personally I enjoy and appreciate the Extra Stout and Foreign Extra Stout 10 times more, but you'll find me slumming it on occasion. A mediocre beer.

Appearance: Same great creamy looking head and leaves rings of lace all the way down ... the color is not as black as it used to be, its more of a very dark brown. Damn, I can see the bar light through the bottom of my pint!

Smell: Rusty water with some faint grain.

Taste: The tame roasted character is laughable, bitterness has been toned down and there is a mild cloying sweetness in the back.

Mouthfeel: Same nitro mouth feel but very, very thin and watery.

Drinkability: This beer has been dumbed down so much it is like drinking water. There are far better stouts than this.

This beer is an obvious victim of thinking about the $$$ and not the quality of the product.

There are rumors that the American product is kegged in the US from a combination of the "Essence of Guinness" (A product of Ireland) and the same malt base used in malternatives. I will find out the truth one day.

I'm surprised the bros rated it so low. It's a classic and a favorite for a lot of people. Personally I love it. It looks like a dark stout but it really has a light feel to it and its low in calories (it's a light beer to me). It's my go to on Sunday's when watching football.
Pours great. Nice head
Smells of malty goodness
Tastes of malt coffee and chocolate . Has a milky cream finish
It's a good starter into the stout world. Men's health says if you're gonna drink a beer drink a Guinness!